Broadcasting system with means to label programs being recorded and to display the label information

ABSTRACT

A digital multimedia recorder that makes good use of EPG data to have at least one of the following capabilities of: (a) selecting a program to be played from a displayed program guide for recorded programs; (b) including, in the displayed program guide, program information on programs relating to each of the recorded programs thereby to permit the user to program the recorder to record a selected one of the related program; (c) recording a plurality of programs broadcast at the same time; (d) record a multi-channel program whose channel configuration changes in the middle of the program so as to support the capability (a); and (e) playing a recorded program within a limit prescribed in a contract with a provider. The information includes information on related programs, if any (which are related with each program), and information on recommended programs which a broadcasting party recommends to the subscribers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention generally relates to a broadcasting system and moreparticularly to a multimedia recorder with recorded program managementfunctions based on EPG data, a TV receiver provided with such arecorder, and a system for supporting such functions in a broadcastingequipment.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Generally, in digital broadcasting systems, at least onebroadcasting station broadcasts a transport stream (TS) defined inMPEG-2 (Moving Picture Experts Group II) standard. The transport stream(or a physical channel) includes a plurality of (logical) channels in atime-division-multiplexed form. Each logical channel includes manyprograms. Each program comprises at least one video subchannel, at leastone audio subchannel and/or at least one data subchannel. Programspecific information (PSI) and service information (SI) on each programare frequently inserted in the TS.

[0005] Such digital broadcasting systems usually provide far manychannels as compared with analog broadcasting systems and accordingly anenormous number of programs. This makes channel or program selectiondifficult. In order to facilitate program selection, information onprograms is transmitted as EPG (Electronic Program Guide) enabling thesubscribers to select a program to watch and to program a VCR (videocassette recorder) to record a desired program by displaying a programschedule and selecting the desired program through a remote controller.

[0006] If one of the recorded programs is to be played in conventionalvideo recorder such as a VCR, then the user often takes a lot of time tofind a desired one of recorded programs recorded on recording medium.The user may even forget the programs he or she recorded in a recordingmedium. In this case, the user has to search the recording media to seewhat programs are recorded on the recording media if he or she has notmade notes at the recording times.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The invention is directed to solving this and other problems anddisadvantages of the prior art. It is an object of the invention toprovide a digital multimedia recorder that makes good use of EPG data tohave at least one of the following capabilities of:

[0008] (a) selecting a program to be played from a displayed programguide for recorded programs;

[0009] (b) including, in the displayed program guide, programinformation on programs relating to each of the recorded programsthereby to permit the user to program the recorder to record a selectedone of the related program;

[0010] (c) recording a plurality of programs broadcast at the same time;

[0011] (d) record a multi-channel program whose channel configurationchanges in the middle of the program so as to support the capability(a); and

[0012] (e) playing a recorded program within a limit prescribed in acontract with a provider.

[0013] Generally, information on programs such as EPG is referred to as“program information.” Hereinafter, it is assumed that the programinformation includes information necessary for extracting a desiredprogram from the received TS's, information on each program, informationon related programs, if any (which are related with each program), andinformation on recommended programs which a broadcasting partyrecommends to the subscribers.

[0014] According to one aspect of the invention, a method of managingrecorded programs recorded in a recording medium in a broadcastingsystem is provided. The broadcasting system comprises at least onetransmitter and a plurality of terminals. Each transmitter broadcasts adata stream. A plurality of channels is multiplexed into each datastream. Each channel comprises a plurality of programs. Each transmitterincludes, in the data stream, program information on the programsavailable in the broadcasting system. Each terminal permits a user toselect a desired one of the programs; adds the selected program to arecording queue which keeps program-identifying data sets in order ofbroadcast start time; records on the recording medium a programidentified by one of the program-identifying data sets in a firstposition of the recording queue; records a program information record ofthe recorded program in a predetermined area on the recording medium; inresponse to a reception of a playing request from the user; displays aprogram guide for the recorded programs recorded on the recordingmedium; prompts the user to select one of said recorded programs forplay; in response to the user selecting one of the recorded programs,plays the selected recorded program to provide video and/or audiooutput(s).

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, a multimediareproducer for reproducing recorded programs recorded on a recordingmedium is provided. Program information comprising program information(PI) records associated with said recorded programs is also recorded onthe recording medium. The multimedia reproducer comprises: means,responsive to a reception of a reproducing request from the user, fordisplaying a program guide for the recorded programs and prompting theuser to select one of the recorded programs for play; and means,response to the user selecting one of the recorded programs, forreproducing the selected recorded program.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0016] The features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention and the accompanying drawing, in which:

[0017]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of a digitalmultimedia broadcasting system 100 according to the principles of theinvention;

[0018]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of anillustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia disc recorder which isaccording to the invention and which is used as the recorder 5 of FIG.1;

[0019]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary manner of creating aprogram information table 32 stored in the storage device 20;

[0020]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing two exemplary records 32 r of the PItable 32 t.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of arecommended program list according to the principles of the invention;

[0022]FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an recording operation executed bythe controller 19 in response to the user pressing a request button forprogrammed recording;

[0023]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the contents of the recording queue45;

[0024]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a recordedprogram information record 47 of a recorded program which record isrecorded in a predetermined location of the recording medium 9 and whichis stored in the recorded program information table 47 stored in thestorage device 20;

[0025]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary RPI (recorded programinformation) recorded on the recording medium 9 according to theinvention;

[0026]FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a exemplary label printingoperation executed in response to a printing request from the user;

[0027]FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an RPI table maintenance operationexecuted in response to a loading the TS recorder 13 with a recordingmedium 9;

[0028]FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing an exemplary video rental dataregistration operation according to the invention;

[0029]FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a exemplary playing operationexecuted by the controller in response to a pressing of a play button ofthe man-machine interface 21 in accordance with the principles of theinvention;

[0030]FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of anillustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia tape recorder which isaccording to the invention and which is used as the recorder 5 of FIG.1;

[0031]FIG. 15 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of atransport stream to be recorded;

[0032]FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a periodically executed operationof adjusting the frequency of the PI's inserted in the recorded TS inrecording operation;

[0033]FIG. 17 is a diagram conceptually showing another example of atransport stream to be recorded;

[0034]FIG. 18 is a diagram showing steps 371 and 372 which is used inplace of step 272 in playing operation of a tape recorder 5 a of FIG.14;

[0035]FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram showing a simplified versionof the digital multimedia disc recorder of FIG. 2; and

[0036]FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of anillustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia player according to theprinciples of the invention.

[0037] Throughout the drawing, the same elements when shown in more thanone figure are designated by the same reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of a digitalmultimedia broadcasting system 100 according to the principles of theinvention. In FIG. 1, the digital multimedia broadcasting system 100comprises at least one broadcasting transmitter 1, a transmission medium2 and a multiplicity of receiver terminals 5 such as a digitalmultimedia recorder, a digital TV with a recording capability, and anyother terminal with digital broadcast receiving and recordingcapabilities. The broadcasting station 1 preferably transmits, throughthe transmission medium 2, a modulated signal of a transport stream (TS)defined in the MPEG-2 standard. The transmission medium may be any of asatellite, the terrestrial air and cables. The digital multimediabroadcasting system 100 may optionally include one or more video rentalcenter 3, which comprises a computer 30 and a telephone line interface(IF) 31 for permitting the computer 30 to communicate with the terminal5 through a public switched telephone network 4. The center 3 computer30 creates and stores a record of a rented video title, information on acustomer, and the term of validity or the number of permitted plays forthe title in response to a rental request from a terminal 5, and informsthe terminal 5 of the term of validity or the remaining number ofpermitted plays in response to a request for playing a rented videotitle.

[0039]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of anillustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia disc recorder which isaccording to the invention and which is used as the recorder 5 ofFIG. 1. In FIG. 2 the disc recorder 5 comprises a tuner 10 for receivinga plurality of broadcast signals from the broadcasting stations 1; a TSprocessor (M→N) 11 having its input connected with a tuner 10 output; aTS packetizer 12 having its input connected with a TS processor 11output; a TS disc recorder 13 having its recording input connected witha TS packetizer 12 output; a one-of two selector 14 having it two inputsconnected with a TS disc recorder 13 output and a node between the TSprocessor 11 output and the TS packetizer 12 input; a TS processor 15having its input connected with a selector 14 output; a video and audiodecoder 16 having its input connected with a TS processor 15 output; anNTSC/PAL encoder 17 having its input connected with a decoder 16 videooutput; and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 18 having its inputconnected with a decoder 16 audio output.

[0040] The digital multimedia disc recorder 5 further comprises acontroller 19 that includes a storage device 20; a man-machine interface21 for enabling the user to control the recorder 5; a telephoneinterface 22 connected with the PSTN 4; a label printer 23; and a bus 24for enabling communications among the elements 10 through 16 and 18through 23. The man-machine interface 21 includes a remote controller.

[0041] The TS recorder 13 of the disc recorder 5 is adapted for aremovable disc storage medium 9, e.g., an optical disc, a magnetic disccartridge, etc. As for information of each of broadcast programsrecorded in a recording medium 9, the disc recorder 5 preferably notonly keeps it in the storage device 20 as long as the program is beingstored in the recording medium 9 but also records it at a predeterminedlocation of the recording medium 9. This permits the recording medium 9to be played in other disc recorder 5 of the same kind. For thispurpose, the TS recorder 13 records TS's on a recording medium 9 suchthat the recording medium 9 has a program information area of apredetermined size at a predetermined location.

[0042] As seen from just above paragraph, the storage device 9 ispreferably a nonvolatile memory or a battery backed-up RAM (randomassess memory).

[0043]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary manner of creating aprogram information table 32 stored in the storage device 20. Referringto FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation of the multimedia disc recorder 5 willbe described in the following. The broadcast signals (physical channels)from the broadcasting stations 1 are received by the tuner 10. The tuner10 selectively demodulates one of the received broadcast signals (whichinclude respective transport streams TS1, TS2, . . . ) into a transportstream TSi (i: a TS number) according to a TS selection instruction fromthe controller 19. It is assumed that a transport stream TSi includes Mlogical channels in a well-known time-division-multiplexed manner. TheTS processor 11 supplies, to the TS packetizer 12, packets for N logicalchannels selected according to a channel selection instruction from thecontroller 19, where M is the number of logical channels 1 in theselected transport stream TSi, and N is the number of selected logicalchannels. So, N≦M.

[0044] (In this document, the terms “physical channel” and “logicalchannel” mean a TS and a channel included in a TS, respectively. If theterm “channel” is simply used, it means “logical channel.”)

[0045] The TS processor 11 outputs program information (PI) 31 on thebus 24 in response to a PI request from the controller 19. The programinformation 31 obtained from the schedule EIT (Event Information Tabledefined in the DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting)) of TSi includes basicPI for all the programs provided through all the available channels CH1,CH2, . . . , CH100 (it is assumed that 100 (logical) channels areavailable in this specific broadcasting system 100) and detailed PI forthe programs provided through the M logical channels in TSi.

[0046] The controller 19 updates the program information table 32 byusing the program information from the TS processor 11. Each record ofthe program information table has a structure 32 as shown in FIG. 3.Specifically, each record comprises a program serial number 131 therecorder 5 assigns uniquely to each program when program information forthe program is received for the first time, a channel ID 132 unique tothe channel, a title 133 of the program, broadcast time and date 134, asubtitle 135, a broadcast count in a serial 136 which is optionally usedfor programs in serial form, a category code 137 that contains acategory code indicative of the category of the program, time period 138during which a channel configuration of the program is valid, a channelconfiguration 139 which indicates channels constituting the programduring the corresponding time period 138, further details 140 on theprogram, and label information 141 (detailed later). Each record of theprogram information table 32 further includes a rental code 142indicative of rental conditions of the program and a center phone number143 (in case of a program for rental) in order to enable rental videobusiness through the digital broadcasting system 100 in a manner asdetailed later. It is noted that the storage device 20 stores a categorytable (not shown) that associates category codes with correspondingcategory name.

[0047] The program serial number 131 is expressed in such a limitednumber of digits as can be used for sufficiently larger number. When thenumber 131 reaches a possible maximum number, the number 131 is set to,e.g., one at the time of registration of the next program.

[0048] The fields with the left side drawn in a double line in FIG. 3can have multiple values as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showingtwo exemplary records 32 r of the PI table 32 t.

[0049] In FIG. 4, the record “100123” for a program which is titled“Dora the vagrant” and which is to be broadcast from 20:00 to 20:54 onJun. 2, 1999 has three additional values for each of the fields 134through 136. Doing this enable a program information for one program toinform the subscribers of the subsequent three broadcasts (i.e., thefourth, fifth and sixth broadcasts of 15 serialized programs in thisexample) of the serial “Dora the vagrant.” The title fields 133 for theadditional program information has no values because the additionalinformation is for serialized programs. However, program information forany related programs of different types may be included in each recordby containing a title in the title field 133.

[0050] On the other hand, the record 100234 for a program which istitled “NFL 99: The Super bowl” and which is to be broadcast from 18:00to 20:59 on Jun. 2, 1999 has one additional value for each of the fields138 and 139. This means that the channel configuration of the programNo. 100234 changes once in the middle of the period from 18:00 to20:59.Specifically, the program 100234 is broadcast through three videochannels and three audio channels for the first 120 minutes from thebeginning (i.e., for a period from 18:00 to 19:59) and then throughthree video channels and four audio channels for the subsequent 60minutes (i.e., for a period from 18:00 to 18:59). This enables thesubscribers to select a desired combination of video and audio channelsfor a multi-channel program (which means a program which is broadcastthrough more than one optional channels for video, audio or each ofvideo and audio in this document).

[0051] In this example, a period for which a certain channelconfiguration is defined is expressed in terms of relative start and endtimes from the beginning of the program. However, the period may beidentified by a start value and an end values expressed in terms ofrelative positions from the beginning of the program on the recordingmedium.

[0052] Though in just described example a multi-channel program iscomprised of a video channel and an audio channel, a program may includea data channel. It should be noted that a program may be comprised ofonly one or more data channel.

[0053] A broadcasting party is also permitted to include a recommendedprogram list associated with a logical channel or a program in a table,which we have defined and we call “Event Collection Table” or “ECT”.FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a recommendedprogram list 40. The recommended program list 40 comprises a list title41, a valid period 42 of the list 41 and at least one record comprisingthe channel ID 132 and the broadcast time and date 134. Since thecombination of the channel ID 132 and the broadcast time and date 134 isused for identifying a program record associated with the channel ID 132and the broadcast time and date 134, information contained in any fieldsof the record of the program identified by the channel ID 132 and thebroadcast time and date 134 can be displayed.

[0054] It is noted that the broadcasting party is permitted to set avalid period to the list 40. When the recommended program list 40 isdisplayed at 9:00 on 9 Feb. 1998, only the programs that begins after9:00 on 9 Feb. 1998 are displayed, i.e., only the second and subsequentprograms of the list whose valid period includes the time 9:00 and thedate 9 Feb. 1998 are displayed.

[0055] When the broadcasting of a program has been completed, thecontroller 19 deletes not only the record for the just broadcast programfrom the program information table 32 but also recommended program lists40, if any, that contain the channel and program IDs for the justbroadcast program as the program to be last broadcast in the list.

[0056] Recording Operation

[0057]FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an recording operation executed bythe controller 19 in response to the user pressing a request button forprogrammed recording. In step 201, the controller 19 first displays aprogram guide table based on the program information table 32 and letsthe user select one of the displayed programs. It should be noted thatthe user is permitted to select a desired number of channels for anyidentical time period as long as the channels are of an identical TS,e.g., even all the logical channels in a physical channel.

[0058] In step 202, the controller 19 adds a data set (i.e., the valuesof the channel ID field 132 and the broadcast time & date field 134) ofthe selected program to a recording queue 45 of FIG. 7. The data setsare preferably arranged in order of broadcast start time in therecording queue.

[0059] In step 203, a test is made to see if it is time to record. Thisstep is repeated until it becomes a recording time of an earliestprogram in the queue 45. If the time is reached in step 203, thecontroller 19 records the earliest program in the queue 45 by informingthe tuner 10 and the TS processor 11 of the transport stream and thechannel IDs to receive and sending suitable instructions to the TSpacketizer 12 and the TS recoder 13 in step 204. Alternatively, if theuser operates the controller or the man-machine interface 21 in apredetermined manner to record the receiving program, the controller 19also records the receiving program by simply sending the suitableinstructions to the TS packetizer 12 and the TS recoder 13 in step 204.In either case, the TS packetizer 12 packetizes the received packetstream (PES (Packetized Elementary stream) packets in the MPEG-2standard) into a TS packet stream, which is then recorded by the TSrecorder 13 in the recording medium 9.

[0060] On completing the recording of the program, in step 205, thecontroller 19 adds a record to the recorded program information table 47as shown in FIG. 8; stores values in the medium ID field 146 and therecording location field 147; copies the fields 132-143 from the table32 to the table 47; and deletes the copied record from the table 32. Arecorded program serial number is assigned by the controller 19 to eachof the recorded programs in the recorded order. The controller 19 alsoassigns a medium (or volume) ID to each of the recording media 9 onwhich the recorder 5 has recorded any program even once.

[0061] In step 206, the controller 19 makes a test to see if therecorded program is the first one for the recording medium 9. If so, adigital multimedia recorder 5 ID stored in, e.g., a not-shown ROM (readonly memory) within the controller 19 is recorded in a predeterminedlocation on the recording medium 9 in step 207. Otherwise, thecontrolled is passed to step 208.

[0062] In step 208, the controller 109 records the added recorded in therecorded program information table 47 and a recommended program list 40,if any, for the program in the predetermined location of the recordingmedium 9. In step 209, the controller 10 makes a test to see if thequeue is empty. If so, the controller 19 ends the operation. Otherwise,the controller 19 returns to step 203.

[0063] In this way, a specified program and recorded program information(RPI) for the program are recorded on the recording medium 9 as shown inFIG. 9. This enables a recording medium 9 recorded by one recorder 5 tobe played in other recorder 5 of the same kind.

[0064] If the RPI for all of the programs recorded by the recorder 5 isstored in the storage device 20, then using any suitable databasemanagement system and including key words in each RPI record of thetable 47 facilitates the management of the recorded programs such as theretrieval of recorded program.

[0065] Turning now to FIG. 2, in recording operation, the switch 14 iskept to b-side. It is noted that the user is permitted to select one ofthe M logical channels of the received TSi for watching as well asabove-mentioned N channels for recording. In this case, the controller19 controls the TS processor 15 to supply the selected channel forwatching to the video & audio decoder 16.

[0066] Printing a Label

[0067] According to the principles of the invention, the broadcastingtransmitter 1 preferably includes label information 141 in the programinformation for programs for rental. The label information 141 of aprogram includes texts on the program and one or more icons. The labelinformation may be printed on a label or seal, which is stuck on therecording medium on which the program has been recorded. Alternatively,The label information may be printed directly on the recording medium.FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a exemplary label printing operationexecuted in response to a printing request from the user. In step 211, atest is made to see if a medium 9 is loaded in the TS recorder 13. Ifso, the controller 19 displays program information of the programrecorded on the medium 9 in step 212 and asks the user in step 213 ifthe medium is a correct one. If not, or if the test result is NO in step211, the controller 19 prompt the user to load the TS recorder 13 with adesired medium 9 in step 214 and returns to step 211.

[0068] If the test result is YES in step 213, the controller 19 displayslabel information 141 including a list of printable items in step 215,prompts the user to select desired items in step 216, and asks the userif it is OK. If not, the control is returned to step 216. If it is OK instep 217, the controller 19 pass the data the user selected to the labelprinter 218 to print as specified by the user in step 218, and ends theoperation.

[0069] RPI Table Maintenance Operation

[0070]FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an RPI table maintenance operationexecuted in response to a loading the TS recorder 13 with a recordingmedium 9. If the user inserts a recording medium 9 into the TS recorder13, the controller 19 starts the operation of FIG. 11. In step 222, thecontroller 19 makes a test to see if the recorder ID stored in themedium 9 coincides with that of stored in the above-mentioned ROM (notshown) within the controller 19. If not, then the controller 19 simplycopies the RPI records 47 and the recommended program lists from themedia 9 to a reserved space in the storage device 20 in step 232, andends the operation. Thereafter, the copied data is used in subsequentoperation.

[0071] If the test result is YES in step 222, then the controller 19makes another test in step 224 to see if there are any programs thathave been deleted (by other recorder 5). If any, the controller 19deletes the RPI records for the deleted programs from the RPI table 47in step 226, and makes further test in step 228 to see if there are anyprograms that have been added (by other recorder 5). If so, thecontroller 19 copies the RPI records for the added programs from themedium 9 to the RPI table 47 in step 230, and ends the operation. If thetest result is NO in step 228, the controller 19 simply ends theoperation.

[0072] This operation causes the RPI table 47 to reflect the contents ofthe recording media 9 that have been used in the digital multimediarecorder 5.

[0073] Application for a Video Rental

[0074] According to the principles of the invention, some of theprograms are for rental. Information on whether a program is for rentalor not is displayed when the program guide for the program is displayedaccording to the rental code 142 of the RPI record for the program. Therental code 142 indicates the state of the program with respect to videorental as shown in the table below. TABLE rental code 0 1 2 state notfor for rental rental yet applied applied for rental

[0075] If the user finds from the program guide that a program is forrental, he or she may desires to rent the program. In order to apply fora rental of the program, the user presses a predetermined rental buttonof the man-machine IF 21 while selecting a desired program.Responsively, a video rental data registration operation of FIG. 12 isstarted. In FIG. 12, the controller 19 places a call to a video rentalcenter 3 using the center phone number 143 contained in the RPI recordfor the program in step 240. In response to a reception of the call, thecomputer 30 of the video rental center 3 sends default and optional datato the recorder 5 in step 242. Responsively, the controller 19 displaysthe received data and prompts the user to select a desired limit valuein step 244. In step 246, the controller 19 sends the selected value anda credit card number of the user to the center 3. In step 248, thecontroller 19 sets the rental code 142 to 2, and sets the permitted playcount 148 or the expiration date 149 based on the selected limit value,and then ends the operation. Also, the center 3 computer 30 charges tothe user's account in step 250 and ends the operation.

[0076] Operation of Playing or Reproducing a Recorded Program

[0077]FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a exemplary playing (orreproducing) operation executed by the controller in response to apressing of a play button of the man-machine interface 21 in accordancewith the principles of the invention. In FIG. 12, the controller 19makes a test in step 262 to see if the TS recorder 13 is loaded with arecording medium 9. If not, the controller prompts the user to set adesired medium 9 or to select a retrieval of a program in step 264. Ifthe user has selected the retrieval, the controller 19 let he or shefind a recording medium 9 containing his or her desired program in step268. If a seeking recording medium 9 is found, it will be loaded intothe TS recorder 13.

[0078] If the user loads the TS recorder 13 after step 264 or 268, thecontroller 19 executes the RPI table 47 maintenance operation 220 instep 270. In step 272, the controller displays a recorded program guidefor the recorded programs of the medium 9 including related programschedule (from fields 133-136 of RPI table 47) and recommended programlists relating to recorded programs or channels, while permitting theuser to select a program to record and prompting the user to select aprogram to play or reproduce. In this case, each recommended programlist may include various information that can be obtained from theprogram information table 32 by using the channel ID 132 and thebroadcast time & date 134. In step 274, the user can select either aprogram to record or a program to play.

[0079] If the user selects a program to play in step 274, the controller19 executes step 202 of FIG. 6 and returns to step 272.

[0080] If the user selects a program to play in step 274, the controller19 checks the rental code 142 in step 276. It should be noted thatselecting a program includes selecting channels from the availablesubchannels for the program. The available subchannels are obtained fromthe fields 139 of the program information table 32 or the RPI table 47.

[0081] If the rental code is zero, meaning that the program is not forrental, i.e., an ordinary broadcast program, then the controller 19simply play the program in step 278. Specifically, the controller 19 setthe switch 14 to the a side so as to connect the TS recorder 13 outputwith the TS processor 15 input, and controls the TS processor 15 tosupply packets for the channel selected in step 274 to the video andaudio decoder 16, the outputs from which are converted into such signalsas are adapted to a television (TV). The programs reproduced from therecording media 9 can be supplied to external TV's and video recorders.

[0082] If the rental code is one, meaning that the program is for rentand has to be registered for rent, then the controller 19 informs theuser to the effect in step 280, and asks the user in step 282 if theuser desires either to apply for the rental of the program or to quitsimply. In the latter case, the controller 19 ends the operation. In theformer case, the controller 19 executes the application operation ofFIG. 12, and ends the operation.

[0083] If the rental code is two, meaning that the program is for rentand has been registered for rent, then the controller 19 makes a test tosee if the registered condition is still valid referring to thepermitted play count 148 and the expiration date 149 in step 286. If so,the controller 19 plays the selected program in step 288. If theexpiration date 149 field had a valid value in step 286, the controller19 ends the operation. If the permitted play count field 148 had anonzero value in step 286, then the controller 19 decrements the valueof the filed 148 in step 290. If the count 148 has become zero in step292, the controller 19 deletes the played program (from the medium 9)and the corresponding RPI record both from the medium 9 and the RPItable 47 in step 296. If the permitted play count 148 is still valid instep 292, the controller 19 ends the operation.

[0084] If the registered condition is invalid in step 286, thecontroller 19 informs the user of the expiration of valid date 149 orthe exhaustion of permitted play count 148 in step 294, and deletes theplayed program (from the medium 9) and the corresponding RPI record bothfrom the medium 9 and the RPI table 47 in step 296.

[0085] It is noted that at the end of this operation, the controller 19may execute a step like step 272. In this case, the controller 19displays a program guide based on the program information table 32instead of the RPI table 47 prompting the user to select a program torecord without prompting the user to select a program to play.

[0086] According to the present invention, if the user desires to play arecording medium 9, he or she can select a program from the programguide displayed for the recorded programs of the recording medium 9.

[0087] In step 286, the validity has been checked by using the fields148 and 149. Instead of doing this, the validity may be checked byreferring to the center 3 for the validity of the program.

[0088] Also, a rental video business can be carried out through abroadcasting system according to the invention. Alternatively, a videosoftware vending business may be carried out through the broadcastingsystem according to the invention as described later.

[0089] It is noted that the recorder 5 may be configured such that ifthe user performs a predetermined operation during the above-describedstep 278 or 288, the controller 19 displays a recorded program guide forthe program being reproduced including related program schedules andrecommended program lists relating to the program or the channel beingreproduced, while permitting the user to select one of the programsincluded in the displayed program schedules and the recommended programlists for recording. In response to the program selection by the user,the controller 19 adds the selected program to the above-mentionedqueue.

[0090] Digital Multimedia Tape Recorder

[0091]FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an arrangement of anillustrative embodiment of a digital multimedia tape recorder 5 a whichis used as the recorder 5 of FIG. 1. The tape recorder 5 a of FIG. 14 isidentical to the disc recorder 5 of FIG. 2 except that the TS processor11, the TS packetizer 12, the TS disc recorder 13, and the controller 19have been replaced with the TS processor 11 a, TS packetizer 12 a, a TStape recorder 13 a and the controller 19 a. Only the differences aredescribed in the following.

[0092] In recording operation, the TS processor 11 a supplies not onlypackets of programs specified by the controller 19 a but also programinformation for the programs to the TS packetizer 12 a. The TSpacketizer multiplexes the received packets and the program informationinto a TS packet stream as shown in FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, slashed partsindicate program information.

[0093] Doing this enables a program guide to be displayed by firstforwarding or winding back the tape 9 a to a location where the programinformation is recorded when the user issues a play command. For thispurpose, the program information is preferably recorded more frequently.However, there is a limitation on the recording rate of programinformation (PI). Specifically, the maximum recording rate has to beequal to or greater than the average media MR rate plus the averageprogram information rate. For this reason, the frequency of PI's isperiodically adjusted as shown in FIG. 16. In FIG. 16, the controller 19a obtains the media bit rate MR from the TS processor 11 a in step 302.A test is made in step 304 to see if the media bit rate MR issufficiently larger than a required rate. If so, the PI insertionfrequency is increased. Otherwise, the PI insertion frequency isdecreased.

[0094] However, if a plurality of programs of different time periods arerecorded in a single tape media, each recorded PI does not necessarilyinclude program information for all the programs recorded on the medium9 a. For this, it is preferable to reserve a predetermined area of thetape, e.g., a head portion of the tape for recording PI for all therecorded programs and to record only a medium ID 146 in a predeterminedlocation of the reserved area. It should be noted that the recordingoperation is preferably performed according to FIG. 6. In this case,step 208 is omitted. Instead of omitting the step 208, it is preferableto copy all of the RPI records with the same medium ID as the mediumbeing used to the reserved area when the reserved area is accessed(e.g., when the tape is rewound to the beginning of the tape 9 a).

[0095] Instead of recording PI together with program data, only themedium ID of the medium 9 a is preferably multiplexed with the mediadata as shown in FIG. 17. In this case, the frequency of medium IDinsertion can be much increased as compared with PI insertion. In thiscase, the playing operation is preferably executed according to theflowchart of FIG. 13. However, step 272 is replaced with steps shown inFIG. 18. Specifically, after step 262 or 270, the controller 19 aobtains the medium ID 146 from the recording medium 9 a by first windingin either direction to find the medium ID 146 in step 371. In step 372the controller 19 a displays a program guide for the recorded programsof the tape 9 a from the RPI table 47 in the storage device 20; andprompts the user to select a program. Then, the controller 19 a proceedsto step 274 of FIG. 13. This enables a program guide of the recordedprograms to be promptly displayed by a small quantity of winding orrewinding in response to a play or reproduction request from the user.

[0096] The TS processor 15 of FIG. 2 may be omitted as shown in FIG. 19.In FIG. 19, a controller 19 b sets the switch 14 to the b-side duringrecording operation and to the a side during playing operation. Thoughthe multimedia recorder 5 (FIG. 2) and 5 a (FIG. 14) permitssimultaneous recording and playing, the multimedia recorder 5 b of FIG.19 does not. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the samesimplification may be applied to the recorder 5 a of FIG. 14.

[0097] In the above-described embodiments, the broadcasting transmitter1 has optionally broadcast the values of TITLE 133, TIME & DATE 134,SUBTITLE 135, and COUNT IN A SERIAL 136 fields for a related program(FIGS. 3 and 4), and the values of CHANNEL ID 132 and TIME &. DATE 134fields for a recommended program (FIG. 5). However, transmitting thesedata causes the transmission and storage efficiencies to be lowered. Inorder to raise the transmission and storage efficiencies, thebroadcasting transmitter 1 may transmit only a channel ID 132 (e.g., theservice ID) and a not-shown program ID (e.g., the event ID) unique inthe channel as a related program or a recommended program. Themultimedia recorder 5 can use the channel ID 132 and the not-shownprogram ID to access a program information record in the PI table 32associated with the two IDs. Doing this enhances the transmissionefficiency and the storage efficiency. However, this technique is onlyvalid for programs the program information of which has been transmittedto to the recorder 5. For this reason, it is preferable for thebroadcast transmitter 1 to transmit the two IDs for a related orrecommended program whose program information has been already broadcastand to transmit the above-mentioned field (133-136 or 132-134) valuesfor a related or recommended program whose program information has notyet been broadcast.

[0098] Also, though the above-described embodiments have identified aprogram information record by using the channel ID 132 and the broadcasttime & date 134 of the program, a program information record may beidentified by using the channel ID 132 and the program ID.

[0099] In the above-described embodiments, the values of the time periodfields 138 has been described as transmitted from the transmitter 1.Alternatively, the TS processor 11 may monitor the channel configurationof each program. In this case, if the TS processor 11 detects a changein the channel configuration of a program, then the TS processor 11stores the start and end times of the channel configuration before thedetected change which times are measured from the beginning of theprogram.

[0100] In the above-described embodiments, the numeral 3 has beendescribed as a video rental center. However, the video rental center 3may be replaced with a video software vender's center. In this case, theRENTAL CODE field 142 is read as a purchase flag, which has only twostates, i.e., a “purchased” state and a “not-purchased” state. Therecorder 5 is so arranged as to initially set the purchase flag of aprogram for sale to the not-purchased state, and set it to the purchasedstate in response to a receipt of an acknowledgement which is sent fromthe video software's center after the user has performed a predeterminedoperation.

[0101] In the above-described embodiments, the TS stream from the TSpacketizer 12 has been recorded on the recording medium 9. However, anyof the MPEG-2 bit stream from the TS processor 15, the video and audiodigital outputs from the video and audio decoder 16, and the analogvideo and audio outputs from the elements 17 and 18 respectively may berecorded on the recording medium 9 as is apparent to those skilled inthe art.

[0102] It should be noted that the present invention is applicable to amultimedia player without a recording capability as shown in FIG. 20.The player 6 of FIG. 20 is identical to the recorder 5 of FIG. 2 exceptthat the elements 10-12 and 14 have been eliminated and the TS discrecorder 13 and the controller 19 have been replaced with a reproducer27 and a controller 19 c, respectively. In this embodiment, the recordedprogram information of each medium is stored only on the recordingmedium but not in the storage device 20. When a medium is inserted inthe player 27, the program information recorded on the medium ispreferably read out in the storage device 20 for subsequent use.

[0103] Many widely different embodiments of the present invention may beconstructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. It should be understood that the present invention is notlimited to the specific embodiments described in the specification,except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of managing recorded programs recordedin a recording medium in a broadcasting system comprising at least onetransmitter and a plurality of terminals, wherein each transmitterbroadcasts a data stream, a plurality of channels being multiplexed intoeach data stream, each channel comprising a plurality of programs andwherein each transmitter includes, in the data stream, programinformation comprising program information (PI) records associated withrespective programs available in the broadcasting system, the methodcomprising the steps of: each terminal permitting a user to select adesired one of said programs; adding said selected program to arecording queue which keeps program-identifying data sets in order ofbroadcast start time; recording on said recording medium a programidentified by one of said program-identifying data sets in a firstposition of said recording queue; recording a program information recordof said recorded program in a predetermined area on said recordingmedium; in response to a reception of a playing request from the user,displaying a program guide for said recorded programs recorded on saidrecording medium; prompting the user to select one of said recordedprograms for play; and in response to the user selecting said one ofsaid recorded programs, playing said selected recorded program toprovide video and/or audio output(s).
 2. A method as defined in claim 1,further including the step of said at least one transmitter optionallyincluding broadcast schedules for programs relating to each program insaid program information, wherein if there are any broadcast schedulesfor related programs relating to said recorded programs, said programguide includes said any broadcast schedules, wherein said prompting stepincludes permitting the user to select one of said related programs, andwherein the method further includes the step of, in response to, theuser selecting said one of said related programs, each terminal addingsaid selected related program to said recording queue.
 3. A method asdefined in claim 2, further including the step of said at least onetransmitter optionally including a recommended program list relating toa program or a channel in said program information, wherein saiddisplaying step includes displaying recommended program informationrelating to said recorded programs and to channels including saidrecorded programs, and wherein said permitting the user to select one ofsaid related programs includes permitting the user to select one of saidrelated programs and programs included in said recommended programinformation.
 4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step ofpermitting a user to select a desired one of said programs includes thestep of permitting a user to select such a program as is to be broadcastconcurrently with at least one program which is registered in saidrecording queue and which is included in a same data stream thatincludes such said program, wherein said recording step includes thesteps of: extracting such said program and said at least one programfrom said same data stream; converting said such said program and saidat least one program into a time-division-multiplexed packet stream in asame form as said data stream; and recording saidtime-division-multiplexed packet stream on said recording media.
 5. Amethod as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of permitting a user toselect a desired one of said programs includes the step of permitting auser to select one of video channels and one of audio channels, saidvideo and audio channels constituting said desired program, wherein saidrecording step includes the steps of: extracting video data of saidselected video channel and audio data of said selected audio channelfrom a data stream including said video and audio channels; convertingsaid video data and said audio data into a time-division-multiplexedpacket stream in a same form as said data stream; and recording saidtime-division-multiplexed packet stream on said recording media.
 6. Amethod as defined in claim 5, further including the step of eachtransmitter including, in said PI record of each of programs that variesin its channel configuration in a middle of duration thereof, timeperiods for respective channel configurations of the program and achannel configuration for each of said time period, each channelconfiguration indicating said video and audio channels that constitutethe program for a time period associated with said each channelconfiguration, wherein said step of permitting a user and saiddisplaying step includes the step of displaying said time periods andcorresponding channel configurations, and wherein said selecting one ofvideo channels and one of audio channels includes selecting, for eachtime period, a video and a audio channel from a channel configurationassociated with the time period.
 7. A method as defined in claim 2,wherein said including said broadcast schedules for related programsincludes including only broadcast schedules for related programs thathave not yet been broadcast.
 8. A method as defined in claim 2, whereinif there are any broadcast schedules for related programs-relating tosaid recorded programs, said program guide includes only broadcastschedules for related programs which relates to said recorded programsand which have not yet been broadcast.
 9. A method as defined in claim1, further including the steps of: said transmitter including, in saidPI record of each of programs, a code indicative of whether the programis for rental and, if the program is for rental, a center telephonenumber; the user selecting a recorded program with an indication ofrental; said terminal permitting the user to applying for a rent of saidselected recorded program; including a limit value determined by saidapplication in said PI record of said selected recorded program; andonly if said limit value is not reached, permitting an executing of saidplaying step.
 10. A method as defined in claim 9, further including thesteps of: said transmitter transmitting label information for use inprinting a label to be put on said recording medium; and printing atleast a part of said label information on a label.
 11. A method asdefined in claim 1, wherein said recording medium is a removable discmedium.
 12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said recordingmedium is a removable tape medium, wherein said step of recording aprogram includes the step of recording said program and PI recordassociated with said program in time-division-multiplexing.
 13. A methodas defined in claim 12, wherein said step of recording said program andPI record including the steps of adjusting a recording frequency of saidPI record according to a possible maximum recording rate minus atransmission rate required for said program.
 14. A method as defined inclaim 1, further including the steps of when a recording medium isrecorded for the first time, recording a medium ID unique to saidrecording medium at a predetermined location in said predetermined areaof said recording medium; including, in said PI record of each ofrecorded programs of recording media that have been recorded by saidterminal, said medium ID of a recording medium storing the recordedprogram; including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs ofrecording media that have been recorded by said terminal, a recordedprogram ID unique to the recorded program; storing, in a storage device,all of said PI records for said recorded programs of recording mediathat have been recorded by said terminal, and permitting the user toretrieve a desired program.
 15. A method as defined in claim 14, whereinsaid recording media is a removable disc medium, wherein the methodfurther includes the steps of, each time of loading said disc media,updating relevant PI records stored in said storage device.
 16. A methodas defined in claim 1, wherein said recording medium is a removable tapemedium and wherein the method further includes the steps of when arecording medium is recorded for the first time, recording a medium IDunique to said recording medium at a predetermined location in saidpredetermined area of said recording medium; including, in said PIrecord of each of recorded programs of recording media that have beenrecorded by said terminal, said medium ID of a recording medium storingthe recorded program; including, in said PI record of each of recordedprograms of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal, arecorded program ID unique to the recorded program; storing, in astorage device, all of said PI records for said recorded programs ofrecording media that have been recorded by said terminal, and at a timeof accessing a neighborhood of said predetermined area, copying said PIrecords of programs recorded on said recording medium which are storedin said storage device to said predetermined area of said recordingmedium, wherein said step of displaying a program guide uses said PIrecords stored in said storage device.
 17. A method as defined in claim16, wherein said step of recording a program includes the step ofrecording said program and said medium ID in time-division-multiplexing,said medium ID being recorded in a raised frequency, wherein the methodfurther includes the step of, at a time of loading said medium,obtaining said medium ID by winding said tape in either direction; andwherein said step of displaying a program guide includes the step ofreading said PI records stored in said storage device by using saidobtained medium ID.
 18. A multimedia terminal capable of managingrecorded programs recorded in a recording medium in a broadcastingsystem comprising at least one transmitter and a plurality of terminals,wherein each transmitter broadcasts a data stream, a plurality ofchannels being multiplexed into each data stream, each channelcomprising a plurality of programs and wherein each transmitterincludes, in the data stream, program information comprising programinformation (PI) records associated with respective programs availablein the broadcasting system, the multimedia terminal comprising: meansfor permitting a user to select a desired one of said programs; meansfor adding said selected program to a recording queue which keepsprogram-identifying data sets in order of broadcast start time; meansfor recording on said recording medium a program identified by one ofsaid program-identifying data sets in a first position of said recordingqueue; means for recording a program information record of said recordedprogram in a predetermined area on said recording medium; means,responsive to a reception of a playing request from the user, fordisplaying a program guide for said recorded programs recorded on saidrecording medium; means for prompting the user to select one of saidrecorded programs for play; and means, response to the user selectingsaid one of said recorded programs, for playing said selected recordedprogram to provide video and/or audio output(s).
 19. A multimediaterminal as defined in claim 18, wherein broadcast schedules forprograms relating to each program are optionally included in saidprogram information, wherein said means for displaying a program guideincludes means, activated in the event there are any broadcast schedulesfor related programs relating to said recorded programs, for includingsaid any broadcast schedules in said program guide, wherein saidprompting means includes means for permitting the user to select one ofsaid related programs, and wherein the multimedia terminal furtherincludes means, responsive to the user selecting said one of saidrelated programs, for adding said selected related program to saidrecording queue.
 20. A multimedia terminal as defined in claim 18,wherein said playing means includes: means, responsive to apredetermined input by the user, for displaying a program informationfor said selected recorded program, said program information includinginformation on related programs relating to said selected recordedprogram; means for permitting the user to selecting one of said relatedprograms for recording; and means, responsive to the user selecting saidone of said related programs, for adding said selected related programto said recording queue.
 21. A multimedia terminal as defined in claim19, wherein said related programs are serialized programs.
 22. Amultimedia terminal as defined in claim 20, wherein said relatedprograms are serialized programs.
 23. A multimedia terminal as definedin claim 19, wherein a recommended program list relating to a program ora channel is optionally included in said program information, whereinsaid means for displaying a program guide includes means for displayingrecommended program information relating to said recorded programs andto channels including said recorded programs, and wherein said means forpermitting the user to select one of said related programs includesmeans for permitting the user to select one of said related programs andprograms included in said recommended program information.
 24. Amultimedia terminal as defined in claim 18, wherein said means forpermitting a user to select a desired one of said programs includesmeans for permitting a user to select such a program as is to bebroadcast concurrently with at least one program which is registered insaid recording queue and which is included in a same data stream thatincludes such said program, wherein said recording means includes: meansfor extracting such said program and said at least one program from saidsame data stream; means for converting said such said program and saidat least one program into a time-division-multiplexed packet stream in asame form as said data stream; and means for recording saidtime-division-multiplexed packet stream on said recording media.
 25. Amultimedia terminal as defined in claim 18, wherein said means forpermitting a user to select a desired one of said programs includesmeans for permitting a user to select one of video channels and one ofaudio channels, said video and audio channels constituting said desiredprogram, wherein said recording means includes: means for extractingvideo data of said selected video channel and audio data of saidselected audio channel from a data stream including said video and audiochannels; means for converting said video data and said audio data intoa time-division-multiplexed packet stream in a same form as said datastream; and means for recording said time-division-multiplexed packetstream on said recording media.
 26. A multimedia terminal as defined inclaim 25, wherein said PI record of each of programs that varies in itschannel configuration in a middle of duration thereof includes timeperiods for respective channel configurations of the program and achannel configuration for each of said time period, each channelconfiguration indicating said video and audio channels that constitutethe program for a time period associated with said each channelconfiguration, wherein said means for permitting a user and saiddisplaying means includes means for displaying said time periods andcorresponding channel configurations, and wherein said means forpermitting a user to select one of video channels and one of audiochannels includes means for selecting, for each time period, a video anda audio channel from a channel configuration associated with the timeperiod.
 27. A multimedia terminal as defined in claim 19 wherein saidbroadcast schedules for related programs includes only broadcastschedules for related programs that have not yet been broadcast.
 28. Amultimedia terminal as defined in claim 19, wherein said means forincluding said any broadcast schedules in said program guide includesmeans for including only broadcast schedules for related programs whichrelates to said recorded programs and which have not yet been broadcast.29. A multimedia terminal as defined in claim 18, wherein said PI recordof each of programs includes a code indicative of whether the program isfor rental and, if the program is for rental, a center telephone number,and wherein the multimedia terminal further includes: means forpermitting the user to elect a recorded program with an indication ofrental; means for permitting the user to applying for a rent of saidselected recorded program; means for including a limit value determinedby said application in said PI record of said selected recorded program;and means, activated only in the event said limit value is not reached,for permitting an executing of said playing step.
 30. A multimediaterminal as defined in claim 29, further including: means for receiving,from said broadcasting transmitter, label information for use inprinting a label to be put on said recording medium; and means forprinting at least a part of said label information on a label.
 31. Amultimedia terminal as defined in claim 18, wherein said recordingmedium is a removable disc medium.
 32. A multimedia terminal as definedin claim 18, wherein said recording medium is a removable tape medium,wherein said means for recording a program includes means for recordingsaid program and PI record associated with said program on saidrecording medium.
 33. A multimedia terminal as defined in claim 32,wherein said means for recording said program and PI record includingmeans for adjusting a recording frequency of said PI record according toa possible maximum recording rate minus a transmission rate required forsaid program.
 34. A multimedia terminal as defined in claim 18, furtherincluding: means, activated when a recording medium is recorded for thefirst time, for recording a medium ID unique to said recording medium ata predetermined location in said predetermined area of said recordingmedium; means for including, in said PI record of each of recordedprograms of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal,said medium ID of a recording medium storing the recorded program; meansfor including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs ofrecording media that have been recorded by said terminal, a recordedprogram ID unique to the recorded program; means for storing, in astorage device, all of said PI records for said recorded programs ofrecording media that have been recorded by said terminal, and means forpermitting the user to retrieve a desired program.
 35. A multimediaterminal as defined in claim 34, wherein said recording media is aremovable disc medium, wherein the multimedia terminal further includesmeans, activated each time of loading said disc media, for updatingrelevant PI records stored in said storage device.
 36. A multimediaterminal as defined in claim 18, wherein said recording medium is aremovable tape medium and wherein the multimedia terminal furtherincludes: means, activated when a recording medium is recorded for thefirst time, for recording a medium ID unique to said recording medium ata predetermined location in said predetermined area of said recordingmedium; means for including, in said PI record of each of recordedprograms of recording media that have been recorded by said terminal,said medium ID of a recording medium storing the recorded program; meansfor including, in said PI record of each of recorded programs ofrecording media that have been recorded by said terminal, a recordedprogram ID unique to the recorded program; means for storing, in astorage device, all of said PI records for said recorded programs ofrecording media that have been recorded by said terminal, and means,activated at a time of accessing a neighborhood of said predeterminedarea, for copying said PI records of programs recorded on said recordingmedium which are stored in said storage device to said predeterminedarea of said recording medium, wherein said means for displaying aprogram guide uses said PI records stored in said storage device.
 37. Amultimedia terminal as defined in claim 36, wherein said means forrecording a program includes means for recording said program and saidmedium ID in time-division-multiplexing, said medium ID being recordedin a raised frequency, wherein the multimedia terminal further includesmeans, activated at a time of loading said medium, for obtaining saidmedium ID by winding said tape in either direction; and wherein saidmeans for displaying a program guide includes means for reading said PIrecords stored in said storage device by using said obtained medium ID.38. A multimedia terminal as defined in claim 18, wherein said PI recordof each of programs includes a code indicative of whether the program isfor rental and, if the program is for rental, a center telephone number,and wherein the multimedia terminal further includes: means forpermitting the user to elect a recorded program with an indication ofrental; means for permitting the user to applying for a rent of saidselected recorded program; means, responsive to a request for playingone of rental programs, for referring to a rental center for a validityof said one of said rental program; and means, activated only in theevent said one of said rental program is valid, for enabling saidplaying means.
 39. A multimedia reproducer for reproducing recordedprograms recorded on a recording medium, wherein program informationcomprising program information (PI) records associated with saidrecorded programs is also recorded on the recording medium, themultimedia reproducer comprising: means, responsive to a reception of areproducing request from the user, for displaying a program guide forsaid recorded programs and prompting the user to select one of saidrecorded programs for play; and means, response to the user selectingsaid one of said recorded programs, for reproducing said selectedrecorded program.
 40. A multimedia reproducer as defined in claim 39,wherein said PI record of each of programs includes a code indicative ofwhether the program is for rental and, if the program is for rental, acenter telephone number, and wherein the multimedia reproducer furtherincludes: means for permitting the user to elect a recorded program withan indication of rental; means for permitting the user to applying for arent of said selected recorded program; means for including a limitvalue determined by said application in said PI record of said selectedrecorded program; and means, activated only in the event said limitvalue is not reached, for enabling said playing means.
 41. A multimediaterminal as defined in claim 40, further including: means for receiving,from external, label information for use in printing a label to be puton said recording medium; and means for printing at least a part of saidlabel information on a label.